Shades of Green
by Lady Myotismon
Summary: DBZ Crossover, being rewritten.Slash. When Rauru takes Link away for his 7 year sleep, he makes a mistake.Now 5 men from Earth are in Hyrule, and when 1 is taken by Ganondorf, the others must wait for Link to fulfill his destiny before they can go home.
1. I

Thank You: This story needs lots of thank you-s. First of all, I need to thank my friend's little brother, John, for being really weird with action figures and inspiring me. Then I need to thank my friend Kelly who told me what her little brother had been doing and later beta reading and helping me along with the story. I wrote most of this story in school, so I want to thank my teachers for being boring and stupid. Also, I really need to thank Akira Toriyama for giving us the wonderful Dragonball characters and everyone at Nintendo for creating our favorite game Legend of Zelda. Especially, I want to thank my readers for reviewing. Apologies: Of course I apologize to Akira Toriyama and the Nintendo dudes for officially screwing up their works of art. Also, I need to apologize to Kara for using up all her internet time in writing this. I need to apologize to my dad for not getting offline when he wanted me too. I should probably apologize to Heather for doing this to Ganondorf...  
  
~I~  
  
Celestial voices perpetually sang their melancholy songs inside the walls of the once sublime Temple. The air was frigid and nearly impossible to breath. Very few living people had entered the Temple in the past years and not one of them had bothered to clean.  
  
Beneath a large hole in the ceiling was an equally large pile of rubble. It began to tremble and a head popped out of it.  
  
"What happened?" Goku asked, shaking debris from his jet black hair.  
  
Vegeta stirred and realized he was stretched out across Goku's lap. "Get off of me, Kakarott!" he cried, jumping to his feet.  
  
As Goku watched Vegeta make futile attempts to clean himself he laughed in his childish, carefree way. His son, Gohan, sat up against a huge concrete block, rubbing a purple lump on his forehead. Across the room, the Namek Piccolo had been awake for quite some time, he sat meditating, aiming to appear less part of the group than he actually was.  
  
Vegeta glanced up at the hole in the ceiling, and vaguely remembered making it. "I think we fell all the way to Hell," he announced.  
  
Goku laughed, "I don't think so Vegeta."  
  
Krillin was hauling himself out of the pieces of ceiling he had been buried in. "Oh, man, where are we?" he groaned.  
  
"Where are the others?" Gohan added.  
  
There was silence; no one knew the answers to either of these questions.  
  
"We need to find a way home," Piccolo stated.  
  
Suddenly, the front door burst open and hundreds of women wielding dangerous weapons entered carefully. Even more began pouring in from the hole in the ceiling.  
  
"I don't think they're here to welcome us, guys," Krillin said nervously, backing up against the heap of wreckage.  
  
Piccolo jumped to his feet and the dark skinned women observed him particularly cautiously. Obviously, none of them had ever seen a Namek before. A bolder woman crept forward. She pulled at his antennae and rubbed his skin, wondering if the green would wipe off.  
  
Piccolo hated this attention; he forced the woman's hand away and stepped backwards. Instantly, he was buried under a wave of the armed women.  
  
Goku cried Piccolo's name and jumped forward in failed attempt to rescue the Namek, but found a spear at his throat. No matter how fast he dodged and swerved, the woman could easily match his speed, and the spear remained at his neck. The others were having and equally hard amount of time with these vicious women. Vegeta got one glance at Piccolo before the gap closed. The Namek was lying on the ground, covered in stab wounds, so surrounded he couldn't even sit up.  
  
"Let's go!" Goku suddenly ordered.  
  
The cry distracted the women long enough for four of the five men to escape through the hole they had created.  
  
Piccolo jumped up in an attempt to follow but hundreds of the women held onto his legs. When he kicked off one dozens more grabbed on to him. There were too many of them for Piccolo, with one final tug they had pulled him back into the swarm of women. A spear went though his throat and everything went black. 


	2. II

* What a strange dream, * Piccolo thought, opening his eyes. But it wasn't a dream at all. He had been sleeping on a giant mattress-like pillow, red-purple in color, covered with pillows and blankets decorated with intricate, impressing designs. It was raised on a platform three steps above a large, very empty brown-green stone room. In fact, the only other thing in the room besides Piccolo and the mattress was a gigantic fireplace housing one of the largest fires Piccolo had ever seen in his life. The fireplace took up almost the entire wall, and the room could probably hold the entire World Martial Arts Tournament Stadium inside of it.  
  
"Gohan? Goku?" Piccolo called.  
  
No one answered.  
  
Piccolo carefully got to his feet and shivered under the silk blanket. The room was freezing cold, worse than it had been in the Temple. He could see the fog pour from his mouth and nostrils as he spoke. In a pathetic attempt to warm his body he pulled his cape around his arms and brought the silk blanket closer. His voice trembled and his body shivered violently, "Anyone?"  
  
Piccolo stepped down from the platform and settled himself directly beside the fireplace. Suddenly, a huge metal door on the other side of the room opened.  
  
"Where are the others?" Piccolo asked.  
  
"The others?" a deep, menacing voice repeated.  
  
"Yes, the others I came with," Piccolo clarified.  
  
"You came with no one. They escaped, but they'll be back for you," the voice answered, coming nearer to the Namek and bringing a massive shadow with it.  
  
* Everything is big here, * Piccolo thought.  
  
The large shadow eclipsed Piccolo's light. He glanced up to see a large man, built strong, with flaming red hair. A closer look revealed he had a dull green skin.  
  
"Your skin is as beautiful as mine used to be," the man said, now standing directly over Piccolo.  
  
Piccolo was taken aback.  
  
"My poor Piccolo, you are cold," the man cooed, handing a cup to Piccolo.  
  
The cup was as large as everything else was, made of something like clay, designed with symbols he couldn't decipher. A damp cloth was wrapped around the cup to protect Piccolo's hands from the heat. Inside of the cup was a dark liquid. It had the strong aroma of nature- fresh spring rain, flowers and herbs, trees abundant with sap.  
  
"Drink it, Piccolo. It is Gerudo Tea I made warm for you. We usually drink it cold, but you need it for warmth," the man told Piccolo.  
  
The Namek put his lips to the cup and breathed in the steam before nervously sipping. It was extremely hot; he flinched.  
  
"It's very hot," Piccolo answered quietly. For some reason, Piccolo found it hard to be rude to this man. Perhaps it was the man's frightening size. He was beginning to wonder nervously who this man was.  
  
The man read Piccolo's nervous expression and said, "I am Ganondorf." Ganondorf smirked.  
  
"Are you going to let me go?" Piccolo asked.  
  
"Oh, no, not when your friends are so strong," Ganondorf laughed.  
  
Piccolo wondered what this had to do with anything. Then he announced, "I am strong. I'll fight you myself for freedom."  
  
"There is no need to try. My magic is advanced. It will be a battle between paper and scissors. It will be over before I even warm up. And besides, I don't wish to fight you, beautiful Piccolo," Ganondorf said vainly, sitting on the steps to Piccolo's bed.  
  
Piccolo sighed and sipped at the liquid in his cup. Like Ganondorf had said, it flowed down his throat and warmed him instantly. The fluid was full of flavor. It was fairly thick and strong. Piccolo had never tasted anything like it. He watched Ganondorf for a second.  
  
"How does it taste?" Ganondorf questioned.  
  
Piccolo replied truthfully, "It's delicious, the best I've ever tasted."  
  
"I'm glad you enjoy it. I worked hard on making it perfect for you," Ganondorf replied, beaming madly.  
  
Piccolo took another sip and said, "All right, let me get this straight, I'm your prisoner? Then why are you treating me like an important guest?"  
  
"Think of yourself as a guest I'm using for my dirty work," Ganondorf laughed sadistically. "You are beautiful, too beautiful to treat like a prisoner."  
  
"You are insane," Piccolo retorted, taking a final swallow from his cup.  
  
Ganondorf shrugged and pressed his fingertips together. "You are finished already with your tea? I take that as a compliment. Would you like some more?" he inquired.  
  
Piccolo was on the verge of saying no, but speculated what would happen if he allowed this man to stay in his room any longer. A disturbing prediction flashed through his mind of himself chained to the mattress with Ganondorf approaching him, whip in hand. He shuddered and responded, "Yes, of course."  
  
His answer had pleased the much larger man. Ganondorf took Piccolo's cup and left without another word.  
  
Piccolo got to his feet and walked back to his bed. He decided that this new world was very strange and hoped the others would come to free him soon.  
  
When he sat on his bed, the pillows cushioned his muscular body. He buried himself under the blankets and made himself comfortable. Above him, the ceiling was glass, the sky above him was twisted black and purple.  
  
* Night time is strange here, * Piccolo thought.  
  
He corrected himself- "Everything is strange here." 


	3. III

"What the Hell! Get away!" Piccolo cried. Ganondorf, with his strong arms wrapped around Piccolo, smiled innocently. "When I returned with your tea you were sleeping. You looked like an angel, I couldn't resist the urge to touch you and then I absolutely had to get closer. My dear Piccolo, you are so tempting."  
  
"You are insane!" Piccolo screamed. "I want to leave! Now!"  
  
"You can't leave. I'm waiting for your friends," Ganondorf said, rolling on top of Piccolo.  
  
"Get off!" Piccolo yelled, struggling under Ganondorf's weight.  
  
"Your skin is even more splendid from above," Ganondorf chuckled, playing with one of Piccolo's antenna.  
  
"Oh, just kill me," Piccolo found himself begging, as he forced his antenna from Ganondorf's fingers.  
  
"Don't beg, it makes you seem so weak," Ganondorf ordered in a pleasant tone.  
  
"If you don't get off, I'll kill you," Piccolo hissed.  
  
"You can try, if your like," Ganondorf teased.  
  
Piccolo squirmed under Ganondorf, writhing and flexing all of his muscles. No matter what he did it was obvious that Ganondorf wasn't budging. It seemed to Piccolo that he spent half an hour struggling to free himself. With a final grunt he collapsed under Ganondorf's weight and closed his eyes.  
  
"You're very strong," Ganondorf announced, pressing Piccolo's antenna against his lips.  
  
Piccolo opened a single eye and glanced at the glass ceiling. The sky was as black as it had been yesterday. "Is it ever day here?" he wondered.  
  
"Of course, it's a beautiful morning, just not around my castle. I have gotten sick of the sun's light and heat, so I used my magic to block it out. That is why it is so cold for about a mile around my castle," Ganondorf explained.  
  
Piccolo winced as he felt Ganondorf's rough, wet tongue working against his antenna. As Ganondorf's hard, white teeth nibbled on the antenna, Piccolo closed his eyes to spare himself from seeing whatever Ganondorf did.  
  
"The sun is highly overrated, no?"  
  
Piccolo kept his eyes close and answered, "We need it to survive."  
  
"I've had far too much of it for a single life time. The desert was always bright and hot. I need some dark," Ganondorf said.  
  
Ganondorf spoke with Piccolo's antenna in his mouth. Every word was accented with a sharp pain as his teeth closed down on Piccolo's sensitive skin. The next time Piccolo opened an eye there were drops of his purple blood on the pillows.  
  
"I understand you don't need to eat anything," Ganondorf suddenly said.  
  
"No," Piccolo replied quietly.  
  
"Then you shall be an easy pet to take care for," Ganondorf tormented.  
  
Piccolo felt the large man fidget on top of him and push himself up to his feet. The Namek sat up quickly and rubbed his sore antenna. Every part of his body was exhausted and trembling. Some of the teeth marks on his antenna would have killed a human.  
  
He glared at Ganondorf to find the man with a blank look on his face, staring past Piccolo at the wall. When Piccolo spun around, the wall was bare, so he turned back towards Ganondorf, who was alert again and making his way towards the door.  
  
"You can train in the large room down the Hall. I will send some creatures up there for you to fight," Ganondorf announced as he shut the door behind him. 


	4. IV

"Bulma," Vegeta whined, pulling the blanket over his head. A confused cow stopped chewing on Vegeta's hair to wonder what a "Bulma" was. When she gave up she went back to eating the black grass.  
  
"Woman, leave me alone," Vegeta growled.  
  
Gohan laughed quietly and yanked his wool blanket up to his chin. A baby bull slept with his head in the teenager's lap. Slowly, Gohan brought his arm out from the blankets and rubbed between the bull's ears.  
  
In a corner, Krillin was trying to fight off some angry Cucco.  
  
"How can Vegeta sleep through this?" Goku wondered.  
  
Gohan laughed, careful not to wake the little bull.  
  
The Cuccos had finally decided Krillin wasn't edible. "I don't think I can stand another day in this place," Krillin announced.  
  
Goku took a deep breath, "We need to go back to the Temple. When we find a way home-"  
  
"We can go get Piccolo," Gohan finished.  
  
"I say we leave him here, what has he ever done for us?" Vegeta growled.  
  
"I wish you would have just stayed asleep," Krillin muttered.  
  
"Piccolo's done a lot for us!" Gohan argued.  
  
"Yeah, Vegeta. Without him, Gohan wouldn't be half as strong as he is now," Goku agreed. "Neither would I."  
  
Vegeta frowned. To him, that would have been a good thing.  
  
"So, we go to the Temple, and then rescue Piccolo?" Krillin asked.  
  
Goku nodded.  
  
"I can't believe you morons made me sleep in a barn," Vegeta spat, pushing the cow away. 


	5. Interlude: Action Figures

For anyone who cares...here is the... ACTION FIGURE STORY  
  
(TOLD BY KELLY, AKA LADY OF THE MONKEY SPIRITS)  
  
So, I was watching Rurouni Kenshin. My 10 year-old brother John was sitting on the couch, playing with his action figures. I sat down next to him, and he started looking through this whole box of action figures he had. I saw he had Trunks and Piccolo from DBZ, and remembered he got them a while ago. So before he was looking through, he was already playing with his Ganondorf figure, which was about 2 and a half times bigger than the DBZ ones. So after a while of having Trunks and Piccolo fight, he grabs piccolo and ganondorf and says "They're both green, they love each other. *in piccolo- ish voice, as he has the piccolo figure hug the ganondorf one* I LOVE YOU!" I tried so hard not to laugh. It was extremely random. I mean...he's 10! Ahh! But after i thought "I NEED to tell nicole (lady myotismon) this!"  
  
I talked to her online the next day, and told her the story. We, with our strange, strange minds, came up with the idea of making a story. It began as a complete joke. LM made up some lines of Ganondorf and Piccolo as if it was a story. it ended up........disturbingly good. So we decided we'd make it an actual story. And that is how this came to be. 


	6. V

Late the next morning, Piccolo woke. As natural for him, he immediately tried to get to his feet; however, his body refused to move. Suddenly, he became aware of a painful heat making his body extremely weak. For a moment he wondered if Ganondorf had moved him to a warmer room, a much warmer one. So weak Piccolo was that he could barely lift his head to glance around the room. His stomach was writhing, his brain throbbing due to the heat. Above him, the sky remained a deadly, supernatural abyss. He glanced at the fire and found it had died during his sleep. Why was he so hot?  
  
"Hot," he choked.  
  
No one was in the room to hear him.  
  
Piccolo's weak body tensed stiffly and after a spasm he found himself sprawled on the steps, heaving up everything he had inside onto the cold, stone floor. Trembling, he moved out of his mess and began fumbling with his gi, desperately trying to remove it and die on the freezing stone. As he strained with his stubborn clothes a pool of blood formed in the back of his throat, gurgling as he tried to breath. It erupted from his mouth like lava and he fell backwards, cracking his head on the hard floor. Blood tricked down his skull as he clawed at the sheets, trying to pull himself back onto the mattress.  
  
Never before has Piccolo been sick. He had no idea that what he had was a human illness, and he had never thought that a Namek might be able to catch one, especially not one this horrible.  
  
Piccolo feared he would die, and no one would come to help him. Last night he had told Ganondorf never to come in during the night or early in the morning again. While he couldn't tell the time due to the black magic above him, blocking out sunlight, his internal clock told him it must be about five in the morning his time. He had no idea what was early and what was late in this strange world, but he figured Ganondorf wouldn't come in for another few hours. That was much too long, Piccolo didn't think he had that much life left.  
  
Piccolo collapsed, exhausted and hopeless, onto the floor. For the first time in his life he felt he could compare himself to a discarded doll- limp, alone, fragile and unusually weak.  
  
Then everything seemed to be over- perhaps he had died. His body, though still weaker than when Piccolo had hatched, was relaxed and free from its contractions. He managed enough strength to pull himself to his feet. A puzzled expression spread across his bloody, sweaty face.  
  
Should he tell Ganondorf, at least to have his room cleaned? No, it seemed rude and disgusting to Piccolo. If he had been in this prison longer he might have known where he could find something to clean his mess up. Piccolo wiped the last bit of blood from his sallow face. He chewed the inside of his lip and the disgusting flavor of vomit burst into his sore mouth. Wincing, he decided to wait until Ganondorf came in. Slowly, he sat on the mattress.  
  
The eye of the storm had passed. Even before Piccolo could be fully seated he found himself on hands and knees, suffocating on a fresh pool of blood. Sweltering heat conquered his body and he began having intense convulsions more frequently.  
  
When the door to his prison chamber creaked open he looked up hopefully. One of the strong, dark women stood with a cup, probably full of Gerudo Tea. Immediately she understood what was happening without a word spoken. She was gone before Piccolo could reach out for her help, the cup crashed to the floor. Piccolo, helpless again, fell to the floor.  
  
Piccolo had never been weak or ill. These were entirely new sensations and they stressed him. As he worried about looking helpless in front of others he worried about dying without help, the stress made his condition worse until he felt he was going to implode.  
  
At least half of an hour passed before the Gerudo woman returned. She ran to Piccolo's side and placed a wet rag over his forehead. The water was cool, but not cold.  
  
"Colder," Piccolo demanded.  
  
She shook her head fiercely and continued wringing the water down his face. Piccolo pulled away and glared at her.  
  
"I sent someone out to look for Ganondorf. I know what is wrong. You got too cold. And now you are sick. Dangerous sick. Because you are cold. We have to make the fever break," the Gerudo told him.  
  
Piccolo almost lost consciousness. The woman caught him, he had toppled backwards, and continued caring for him. He allowed it only because he was too weak to pull away again. A shadow formed across the floor. It was large and monstrous.  
  
Lifting his head, Piccolo moaned and looked pleadingly at Ganondorf, who paid him no attention. The giant man was surrounded by dozens of the Gerudo women, all offering him bandages and ointments. A huge gash spewed blood from a break in his armor. Ganondorf pushed them all away.  
  
"Leave me alone! Now! I want no help!" His voice was threatening and vicious. The women cowered against the walls and he roared, "I WILL DESTORY THAT WRETCHED PRINCESS! HOW DARE SHE WOUND ME! SHE WILL PAY!"  
  
The women nodded nervously in agreement, but he didn't notice them either, he was glaring at the blood on his arm hatefully.  
  
"You're captive, Master-"  
  
Ganondorf interrupted her with a wave of his hand and his eyes, full of rage and hatred, met Piccolo's. The eyes of the Namek practically reached out to the Gerudo, begging him to come nearer. At the peak of rage, Ganondorf could have cared less.  
  
"You call me home for this? I thought it was serious! How dare you!"  
  
The women were frightened, but the one tending to Piccolo replied cautiously, "My Lord, he could die. His body isn't used to illnesses from Hyrule. He isn't immune to them like we are. And your cold castle is making it worse."  
  
"This is no reason to call me home. He is prisoner. I do not care of his well being. You know I was busy dealing with that damned princess. You're lucky I caught her at last or every single one of you would be dead. As for you," he glared at Piccolo, "I would set you on my dinner table and dine as I watch you die slowly."  
  
Piccolo closed his eyes to avoid seeing Ganondorf's odious eyes.  
  
"All of you! Now! Leave! I'll deal with my prisoner myself."  
  
The women rushed out and Ganondorf came closer towards Piccolo. The Namek took a deep breath. If he had been healthy he would have jumped to his feet and knocked Ganondorf's head off for even suggesting the entertainment choice if he had lost the princess. Now, all Piccolo could do was hope Ganondorf had been joking. 


	7. VI

One of Ganondorf's massive boots came crashing down on Piccolo's chest. Blood spurted from Piccolo's mouth as if he were a violent fountain. A smirk on Ganondorf's face quickly turned to a snarling frown. "You are a guest, but a very rude one. I should kill you right now. You almost lost me everything I had worked for the past years. Don't think I care enough about you to give up my control!" he hissed, slamming the toe of his boot into Piccolo's side.  
  
Piccolo grit his teeth as tightly as he could to prevent himself from crying out in pain. This was too much for him, getting sick for the first time and being utterly defeated in the same day. He worked up enough strength and anger to yell, "I didn't call for you! Even if I could have I would never have! You are a coward! You fight me while I am too sick to even stand! If you could only fight me when I am healthy! Then you would wish you had cared!" He relaxed again.  
  
Ganondorf kicked the Namek onto his back and glared at him venomously. Piccolo glowered in return, but he knew Ganondorf could sense the pain in his eyes. He quickly shut them and waited for Ganondorf to reply.  
  
"I made the mistake of letting you live. I should have known you would only complicate things. You shall die," Ganondorf said, turning to leave.  
  
"You can't kill me while I am sick! It's unfair! Even I would never have done anything like that!" Piccolo cried.  
  
Ganondorf turned quickly and looked him over. He yawned disrespectfully and sighed, "I'll wait until you're well. It might be more entertaining to wait until your strength has returned."  
  
Piccolo didn't say a word of thanks, instead, he did the only thing he could to show how little he thought of the dangerous man and spat at his feet. Ganondorf laughed viciously and leaned against a wall, taunting Piccolo with his exaggerated aura of comfort.  
  
"I hate you," Piccolo hissed.  
  
"I hate you too," Ganondorf said affectionately, beaming.  
  
Avoiding the mess on the floor, Piccolo pulled himself back onto the mattress and closed his eyes. His mind cleared itself as if he were about to meditate, and he told himself that Ganondorf wasn't there.  
  
"You think I'm joking don't you?" Ganondorf asked.  
  
Piccolo coughed in reply and turned onto his stomach, pressing his sweaty, sallow face into the pillow. Droplets of blood stained the silk. His body went rigid as Ganondorf's long, thick nose pressed into the back of his neck.  
  
"I don't joke, Piccolo," Ganondorf spat, his long, black nails digging into Piccolo's cold flesh.  
  
Piccolo took a deep breath and asked Ganondorf, "Do you this illness is going to kill me?"  
  
Ganondorf sat up and let Piccolo face him. The Gerudo swallowed and replied honestly, "I don't know, Beautiful."  
  
Piccolo sighed and buried his face back into the pillow, disregarding the blood stains. Ganondorf ran his nails over the Namek's bare arms and said, "If I have anything to do with it, you won't."  
  
Piccolo wondered what had caused Ganondorf to change from his true self to his kind self so quickly. He relished the gentle strokes and fought back the feeling foreshadowing vomit. His antennae drooped, screaming silently of his pain and unhappiness. Ganondorf began rubbing Piccolo's skin between his antennae as if he were a master scratching his dog.  
  
"You need a few days out of the castle. Maybe you will recover faster," Ganondorf said, placing a kiss on Piccolo's neck.  
  
Piccolo, startled, pulled away and stared up at the Gerudo. He didn't know whether it was the kiss that troubled him or what Ganondorf had just said.  
  
"You are letting me go?" Piccolo asked.  
  
"Of course not. I am letting you have a vacation with my most trusted servant to recuperate. Besides, I have minions stationed everywhere. Even if you got away from Methkaphae you couldn't avoid the others. There is no way you can escape, and I know you will come back. You don't even know where your friends are, and where would you go but into hiding?" Ganondorf explained.  
  
"Yes," Piccolo nodded.  
  
Ganondorf situated himself beside Piccolo and the Namek nestled his head against Ganondorf's strong arm. The larger man smiled and pulled Piccolo closer. To his surprise, the weak, trembling Piccolo made himself as comfortable as he could.  
  
"Are you still hot?" Ganondorf asked.  
  
The Namek nodded groggily in reply and croaked, "It was worse before."  
  
Ganondorf smirked and began slipping off Piccolo's gi. When he saw Piccolo was too weak to protest, he let the clothes fall back to Piccolo's freezing body and sighed. Piccolo had been right, even Ganondorf couldn't take advantage of him while he was sick. A weak Namek was a sad sight, even for the King of Evil himself. 


	8. VII

"Every time we come near this place I can sense hundreds of really strong power levels. I hope one of them is Piccolo's," Gohan announced as he landed lightly on the cracked temple floor.  
  
None of the adults answered him. All of them were too busy staring at a round, tall, old man who had seemed to appear out of no where. Vegeta suddenly looked angry, as usual, and hissed, "If you don't have an explanation for us then get out! We have to find a way home and you're in our way!"  
  
The old man sat carefully on the steps and said with a smile, "I have an explanation for you. But you aren't going to like it."  
  
"Are you going to say we can't go home!" Krillin worried.  
  
"No, you can go home. But you're going to have to wait for a while," the old man said.  
  
"How long is a while?" Goku asked.  
  
"Wait, wait. I feel I should introduce myself. My name is Rauru, I am a Sage," the old man said. "And you are?"  
  
There was silence as Goku looked around at his companions. None of them seemed willing to introduce themselves. He said, smiling, "I'm Goku. That's my son Gohan, and my best friend Krillin. And he's Vegeta."  
  
"Very good. Now, let me explain. You were brought here by accident. I had to bring a boy named Link into the Chamber of Sages. Well, the Chamber of Sages is in another dimension, so I had to open a portal to bring the boy to me. And I made a mistake and dozens of portals opened in other worlds and dimensions and it got a little messy. None of the portals were near people, though, so nothing happened with them. However, you four happened to be walking right over one when it opened. So you got brought here," Rauru explained.  
  
"Excellent! So you can bring us back home!" Gohan cried.  
  
"Well, yes," Rauru said, pulling at his gray moustache.  
  
"Then why did you say we had to wait?" Krillin asked.  
  
"You are going to have to wait if you want to save your friend Piccolo."  
  
"We knew that. But how long?" Gohan asked.  
  
Rauru bit his lip and looked rather un-sage-like for a moment. Then he replied reluctantly, "Seven years."  
  
"Seven years!" the four men yelled in unison.  
  
"Yes. See, this boy, Link, he needs to sleep for seven years until he is old enough to use the Master Sword. And the Master Sword is the only thing that can defeat Ganondorf and Link is the only human who can wield it, at least at its full potential. You have to understand, Link is the Hero of Time, and if you hadn't showed up he would be allowed to sleep for seven years and save the world. Just because you came doesn't mean we need to change history. It could be horrible, I mean, you might not even exist in your world just because this world got destroyed. So we need to let the seven years pass as it should and then Link can defeat Ganondorf and save Piccolo," Rauru explained at an awfully slow pace.  
  
"I am not waiting seven years! Why don't we go defeat him?" Vegeta yelled, preparing to jump into the air and soar straight to Ganondorf's castle.  
  
"First of all, that would change history and we can't do that. Second of all, you four would never be strong enough to defeat him. Ganondorf already has two of the three Triforce pieces; he just captured Princess Zelda this morning. His strength has doubled," Rauru replied.  
  
"You don't understand! We're the strongest in our world! We could easily defeat Ganondorf!" Krillin cried.  
  
"No, Krillin, maybe with strength, yes, but Ganondorf is a genius, and he could easily destroy you if you even made it to him. His minions fill his castle and each floor of his home has destructive elements whether it being invisible blades that could chop you in half of boiling lava. And even if you did make it to his rooms, you wouldn't last a second if he decided to use magic," Rauru warned them.  
  
"So we have no choice but to wait," muttered Gohan sadly.  
  
Rauru bowed his head a single time in agreement.  
  
"What are we supposed to do for seven years?" Goku asked.  
  
"You could train and defend the Temple. I'm sure Ganondorf will want it destroyed, but of course he himself wouldn't come to do that. I'm fairly sure with training you could fight off his minions in order to protect the Temple and your way home," Rauru suggested.  
  
"Good idea," Goku replied.  
  
"And we could get stronger, maybe strong enough to fight Ganondorf and save Piccolo," Gohan added.  
  
"Sounds great!" Krillin agreed.  
  
Vegeta grit his teeth. "Fine," he spat. 


	9. VIII

The voices from the other side of the door were new to Piccolo, all but one, the voice of Ganondorf. He sat against the wall, listening to the conversation on the other side. His body was shaking and every few moments he had to swallow a cough or a sneeze. But as he listened, Ganondorf's true self began to make itself known.  
  
"Methkaphae!"  
  
A woman's voice unsteadily answered, "Yes, Lord? What can I do for you? I was just dispatching some new monsters to the many corridors of our wonderful home. I have heard the terrible news of-"  
  
"Silence! Your affairs are of little importance to me. I have a new assignment for you, Methkaphae. My prisoner is ill, as you know, and I feel it would do him some good to receive fresh air outside of the castle. You shall escort him to wherever he wishes to go," Ganondorf ordered.  
  
"Yes, Master. I would be happy to-"  
  
"I will expect you home no later than sunset! And if he is harmed in any way than I will kill you and lower the rations of the other wenches!" Ganondorf threatened.  
  
"May I ask some questions, My King?" Methkaphae asked.  
  
There was a pause. "Go on," Ganondorf spat.  
  
"I hope I'm not being cheeky in asking, Lord, but why do you care about the well being of a prisoner?" Methkaphae questioned.  
  
"You are being cheeky. However, the answer is something all of you women should keep in mind- he is a very important prisoner. And if anything happens to him then you will all die at the hands of his friends and I will not stop in to save your worthless selves," Ganondorf replied, in a tone that suggested insanity.  
  
"Also, Master, perhaps we should bring the princess along too?" Methkaphae suggested.  
  
"Whatever. As long as the both of them are in their chambers at sunset I won't care if you took the entire dungeon," Ganondorf snarled.  
  
Piccolo heard footsteps. He got to his feet carefully just as the door opened. Ganondorf stepped out briskly, forced Piccolo against the wall, and pushed his face against Piccolo's.  
  
"Enjoy yourself, my green angel," he hissed with a grin.  
  
The Gerudo King rapidly stepped down the hall, turned down a corridor and left Piccolo shuddering. Once again, the door opened and one of the fighting women stepped out.  
  
She was colored like the others, wore a heavy application of makeup, and her clothes was the traditional Gerudo style- flashy, comfortable, light, and colorful. Bangles went up and down both bare arms, jewels sparkled on her fingers and there were thin scars covering her exposed back.  
  
"Piccolo?" she said slowly as if she was just learning to speak.  
  
"Yes," Piccolo replied quietly, freezing on the inside but determined not to appear weak.  
  
"Stay there. I will go get the princess." And Methkaphae scampered down the halls.  
  
Piccolo leaned against the wall again. Why had Ganondorf called him a prisoner? He had told Piccolo that he was a guest? And why did Piccolo feel hurt that Ganondorf had said that. Something strange had been present inside of Piccolo since last night. Perhaps it was the illness he was suffering from, but Piccolo doubted that.  
  
Methkaphae was returning down the hall with a young girl at her side. The girl looked about as old as Goten, but much more mature. A pout was clearly visible on her chubby face from all the way down the hall. She trudged as if walking to her own execution. Shackles and chains covered her small body. Piccolo frowned briefly.  
  
"You should at least be happy I got you out of that dungeon," Methkaphae growled.  
  
"You put me there in the first place," the girl grumbled as the Gerudo woman pushed her to Piccolo's side.  
  
"Alright, you two, let's go. We have until sunset and I really don't want to do this," Methkaphae complained.  
  
"No," Piccolo demanded.  
  
"What? I thought we were doing this for you in the first place?" Methkaphae exclaimed.  
  
"First, take the restraints off of the child," Piccolo demanded in the same tone Ganondorf had used.  
  
"I don't have to listen to you!" Methkaphae yelled, "I'm in control of you, not the other way around!"  
  
"I will tell Ganondorf," Piccolo threatened.  
  
"He wouldn't let me take the chains off of Zelda anyway!" Methkaphae snorted.  
  
Zelda clung closer to Piccolo. When Piccolo had first seen the girl she reminded him of a younger Gohan, and he hadn't been able to feel the same way about Gohan since the boy had become a teenager. Now, he felt, in protecting Zelda he was uncovering one of the few pieces of his past that he missed.  
  
"Yes, but he will kill you if I get hurt, remember? I might just pull one of my arms off," Piccolo grinned, placing his left hand on his right forearm and digging his nails into the flesh.  
  
"You would never rip your own arm off. Not for a little kid like Zelda," Methkaphae stuttered, not sure if she believed her own words.  
  
"Are you sure?" Piccolo winked down at Zelda and powered up slightly, giving the impression that he was using a lot of strength and preparing to actually rip his arm off, when in reality it was quite easy for him. A thin stream of blood flowed from his shoulder.  
  
"All right!" Methkaphae cried, throwing his hand off of his arm and leaning over to remove Zelda's chains.  
  
She produced a key from a hidden pocket in her baggy, nearly translucent pants. One by one, the chains, shackles, and handcuffs fell from Zelda's small body. Methkaphae stepped back, dropped the key into the myriad of folds that were her clothes and grumbled to herself.  
  
"Thank you," Zelda whispered, smiling up at the Namek.  
  
"No problem, kid," he answered hoarsely.  
  
"Are you sick?" she asked worriedly as Methkaphae led them down the corridors dejectedly.  
  
Piccolo nodded and felt her tiny hand squeeze his. Behind his lips, Piccolo's teeth clenched in an inside smile.  
  
Once outside of the castle, Piccolo noticed the storm still twisted above him. He sighed.  
  
"It's okay, once we leave the marketplace it will be sunny again," the child reassured him.  
  
"Will you two hurry up," Methkaphae hissed.  
  
"Are you that princess that Ganondorf captured yesterday?" Piccolo asked.  
  
Zelda nodded sadly and glared at Methkaphae.  
  
"Where's your house? Where do you come from?" Piccolo interrogated.  
  
"Ganondorf destroyed my home and built his castle on top of it," Zelda answered sadly. "Oh look, the sky!"  
  
They had just leaped over a broken bridge, a tiny one, and come out into the sunshine. Piccolo immediately felt warmer.  
  
"Ganondorf says I'm supposed to take you wherever you want, Green guy. So where to?" Methkaphae asked.  
  
Piccolo glanced down at Zelda.  
  
"Lake Hylia?"  
  
"Lake Hylia," he repeated. 


	10. IX

Zelda stared up at Piccolo curiously. He seemed pleasant, but he was oddly quiet. After making sure Methkaphae treated her properly, he hadn't said a word. Occasionally the Gerudo attempted to ask him questions, but never got more than a nod for an answer. "Link will save us," Zelda said conversationally.  
  
Piccolo didn't even acknowledge her. In fact, he sped up to catch up with Methkaphae. Zelda followed him like a loyal puppy.  
  
"Look, kid, I did you a favor. Now leave me alone," Piccolo snarled.  
  
"Don't you think Link will save us?" she asked.  
  
Methkaphae snorted in laughter from the head of the line as Piccolo replied, "No kid, I don't. Stop harassing me."  
  
"Stop being mean," whined the child,  
  
Another snort from the leader and they came over a hill to the entrance of Lake Hylia.  
  
"It's fenced off," she explained. "We'll have to climb that ladder."  
  
Piccolo didn't climb ladders. Ever. Even a very sick Piccolo. He leaped over the fence with ease, even leaped over the wall separating the lands. Impatiently, he waited as Methkaphae and Zelda clambered up the ladder and leaped down to the ground below. The Gerudo glared at him.  
  
"Might be why Ganondorf favors you," grumbled Methkaphae as she led them further inside.  
  
She has no idea, neither of them do, Piccolo thought as they continued towards the lake. Zelda ran for the lake, skipping and kicking in the shallow water. Piccolo sat in the grass, leaning against a rocky cliff as she dove into the deeper waters. Methkaphae sat beside him, arms crossed. The namek stared at her, trying to tell her without words to leave him alone.  
  
"Did I tell you that I was sick my first few weeks, maybe even months?" she asked.  
  
Piccolo glared at her hatefully, trying to destroy her with his mind. Then he replied harshly, "You did." He turned back towards Zelda and softened up slightly. Everything the child did reminded him of Gohan. A pathetic longing filled his soul. He mouthed the boy's name and sighed sadly.  
  
"So, Piccolo, where are you from?"  
  
"Earth."  
  
"Where were you born?"  
  
"Earth."  
  
"But...you're green..."  
  
"So is Ganondorf."  
  
"But..."  
  
"My father was a Namek."  
  
"And your mother?"  
  
There was a pause. Piccolo glanced at her for a moment and back at Zelda. Very bluntly he answered, "I have no mother."  
  
"Come on, Piccolo. Don't be ridiculous. Everyone has a mother," snorted Methkaphae.  
  
"Well I don't. My father couldn't get a woman pregnant if he wanted to. Its not how Nameks reproduce," Piccolo replied.  
  
"You mean-"  
  
"Look! I found a Rupee!" Zelda interrupted, placing a large green gem at Piccolo's feet.  
  
The child skipped back towards the lake, dress billowing behind her. She was soaking wet, sending beads of water across the grass. Her hair bobbed around her shoulders as she spun in the field and landed, on a hill. Laughing, she rolled down into the water and disappeared. Methkaphae snatched the gem quickly and slipped it into her baggy pants. Zelda returned suddenly with a red gem in her hands.  
  
"This one is for you, Mr. Piccolo," Zelda giggled, dropping it into his lap. When Methkaphae reached for it, she scolded, "Oh no, you horrible lady, that Rupee is for Piccolo. You've got one!"  
  
Piccolo grinned jeeringly at the Gerudo and slipped the Rupee into a pocket hidden in his clothes. He nodded approvingly at the Princess and watched her scurry away.  
  
"You like her?"  
  
Piccolo turned towards Methkaphae and shrugged. "She reminds me of a boy I used to train," he answered with a gloomy smile.  
  
"Used to? Did something happen to him?" Methkaphae asked.  
  
"He grew up," replied Piccolo with a hint of remorse.  
  
"Really? Gerudos usually have the same trainer until one of them dies," Methkaphae explained. Then she added quietly, "Unless Ganondorf takes them away first."  
  
"Come and play, Piccolo! I know you're sick, but the water's warm, I promise!" called the Princess.  
  
Piccolo shook his head stubbornly. He might secretly enjoy children, but he would never play with one.  
  
"Go and play with her. The only reason I brought her was because she needs to get exercise," Methkaphae urged him.  
  
"Do you like her?" he asked.  
  
"She reminds me of myself as a child," answered Methkaphae with a grin. "I'll play with her too, Piccolo."  
  
"I don't play with kids. I-"  
  
Before he could protest anymore, he was left alone. Methkaphae was suddenly in the water, wrestling the Princess into the lake and pulling her out soaking wet. Zelda giggled as Methkaphae continued tossing her into the water and playing roughly with her. Piccolo glared at the both of him from his seat in the shadows, a smile on his face. 


	11. X

The dungeons in Ganondorf's castle were dark, freezing cold, and carried in its atmosphere the sound and scent of Death. Piccolo was beginning to feel sick again as Zelda pulled him farther through the bleak rooms and corridors. Methkaphae followed them, walking casually, occasionally giggling when Piccolo tripped over obtrusive stones.  
  
"Hi, Zelda," muttered a weak prisoner from one of the cells they passed.  
  
He appeared to be half man and half fish, and his flesh was a brilliant blue, but clearly he was ill. His ribs could be seen through his scaly flesh and he trembled as he waved to the young princess.  
  
"Hello, Ice," Zelda chimed, beaming as she sped by.  
  
"Who's he?" Piccolo asked.  
  
"Ice. He's a Zora...it's real sad. He doesn't get enough water and he said he's 'diedrading'," Zelda replied, struggling with the final word.  
  
For a moment Piccolo was confused, but he put the pieces of the puzzle together and corrected her, "Dehydrating."  
  
"Yeah! De...hy....drating," Zelda repeated slowly.  
  
Piccolo nodded and stumbled over another stray rock in his path. He suddenly stopped and Zelda strained to pull him forward, but Piccolo wasn't budging. The Princess yanked at his arm until Piccolo tossed her away.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
Methkaphae and Zelda both watched Piccolo carefully. His entire body was still except his twitching antennae and erect ears. Suddenly he turned and asked them, "Do you hear that?"  
  
"Hear what?" Methkaphae questioned.  
  
Piccolo heard very clearly sounds of yelling, but he was too far into the dungeon to know what was being said. He tried to find the source of the noise, and bolted down one of the halls. His lungs screamed in protest. The yelling became louder.  
  
"How dare you disobey me? I have taken care of you since your birth and you break all of my loose rules for you!"  
  
Piccolo stopped suddenly and witnessed a horrific scene. Ganondorf held a Gerudo, one of his own people, above his head by her throat; she could do nothing but struggle for breath. Then Ganondorf dropped the girl and she fell to the hard, cold stone floor with a sound like snapping twigs. Crying out in pain, she clawed the air in Piccolo's direction as if begging him for salvation. The Gerudo King failed to notice her reaching for the Namek and pulled a dagger from one of his boots. She screamed for help, such a monstrous, discordant shriek that Piccolo fell to his knees, covering his ears with trembling hands. Drops of blood sprayed across his face and into his opened mouth as Ganondorf ripped at the girl's back with his dagger. And swiftly it was all over.  
  
The body of a young Gerudo lay sprawled on the floor, her eyes opened and staring at Piccolo with dismal emptiness. Flecks of blood remained fresh in Piccolo's throat and corrupted his attractive face. His hands slipped from his throbbing ears and fell into his lap. In some method of mourning his scarred antennae drooped down over his expressionless eyes. There lingered a wave of silence in which Piccolo could only examine the gory corpse.  
  
"Why?" he whispered softly, breaking the fragile silence.  
  
Ganondorf suddenly twisted toward him, an irate look on his grizzly face. His arms were covered in blood up to the elbows and more thick splashes of the fluid painted his body and face in nauseating art. Heaving a sigh, his angry expression disappeared and he came towards Piccolo with arms spread expecting an embrace. Piccolo recoiled and shot the Gerudo King a cold- blooded snarl.  
  
"Don't get near me!" Piccolo hissed.  
  
Ganondorf glanced down at his arms and replied, "Oh...yes...I don't blame you." Almost embarrassedly he tried to wipe the blood on his cape.  
  
"You just killed a child! She couldn't have been fifteen years old!" Piccolo yelled.  
  
"Um...yes?"  
  
"Why?" Piccolo growled, glaring at Ganondorf angrily.  
  
"She set a prisoner free," Ganondorf replied. "Does that not deserve Death? And besides, Piccolo its not like you have never killed an innocent."  
  
"When I was younger! I have changed entirely!" Piccolo roared in reply.  
  
"And now my dear Namek would not even harm a cucco," teased Ganondorf. "Why don't we get cleaned up?"  
  
Piccolo nodded and got carefully to his feet, unable to take his eyes off of the corpse.  
  
"I've got a wonderful idea! Why don't we share a hot bath in my magnificent bathroom?" Ganondorf suggested.  
  
Piccolo threw him an almost pitiful glance and turned to walk away. The images of the Gerudo's death flooded his thoughts and burned into the back of his eyes. He would never forget her cries for help, directed towards him, that he left unanswered. Ganondorf set a massive hand on Piccolo's shoulder as some sort of comfort and said, "Piccolo, join me. Remember the fun you had destroying? Can you not remember how you enjoyed being evil? Lover, we can enjoy it together, years of fun and nothing could stop us if we worked together."  
  
Piccolo took a deep breath. "Not now, Ganondorf," he responded desolately.  
  
"I realize you have been through a lot today. Are you feeling any better?" Ganondorf questioned, remembering suddenly that Piccolo had been ill.  
  
Piccolo shook his head once, a heartbreaking expression on his face.  
  
"Will you consider my proposal?" Ganondorf asked, a pleading tone in his voice.  
  
Piccolo nodded once and muttered, "I will consider, but that means nothing."  
  
"Perhaps I should escort you to your room?" Ganondorf suggested. "Because already you are heading in the wrong direction. Would you like a bath as well? Or some water?"  
  
Piccolo replied quietly, "Water, yes. Bring water to Ice, your prisoner. He needs water. I need Earth."  
  
Piccolo collapsed.  
  
~*~*~~*  
  
Everything was warm. Piccolo opened his eyes slowly and saw immediately that he was in his room. The fire was blazing before him and he was covered in blankets. Someone lay beside him. He knew without turning his head that he was wrapped securely in Ganondorf's arms. While Piccolo did not need to roll around he did and came face to face with sleeping Ganondorf, a blissful smile on his face.  
  
"Why are you sleeping with me? Didn't I tell you to stay out of my room in the mornings?" Piccolo muttered angrily.  
  
Ganondorf moaned in his sleep and tightened his grip on the smaller Namek. With a sigh of defeat, Piccolo relaxed and allowed himself to be smothered by Ganondorf's snug, burly body. A diminutive grin tugged at the corners of Piccolo's lips as his face was buried in Ganondorf's thick neck. The Gerudo King's flaming red hair smelled strongly of sand and heat, Piccolo could almost see with his nose the Desert of Ganondorf's birth.  
  
"Do you love me?" Ganondorf mumbled quietly, still half asleep.  
  
Piccolo heaved a sigh. "Sometimes I think I do."  
  
Ganondorf opened a single topaz eye and asked, "When?"  
  
Piccolo smiled slightly into Ganondorf's muscular chest. Ganondorf would never stop bothering him unless he got an answer. Finally Piccolo replied, "Well, like now."  
  
The smile on Ganondorf's face grew to the point of showing off perfectly white teeth. He leaned in towards Piccolo, but the Namek pushed him away, shaking his head. Ganondorf pouted and leaned in once again more carefully to kiss Piccolo's forehead. Palatable, satisfying taste flooded into Ganondorf's mouth. Lust raged in his veins, he persisted to steal the taste until Piccolo forced him off.  
  
"Stop it," Piccolo demanded.  
  
Ganondorf stroked Piccolo's soft cheek with his long black nails. The Namek squirmed in his arms but he kept a firm grip. It seemed like forever that Ganondorf had been waiting for a moment like this with his beloved Piccolo. The atmosphere would have been so much more appropriate with chains and blood, at least Ganondorf felt so.  
  
"What happened last night? After I fainted?"  
  
"Well...let's see, I brought you up here and got you all of these blankets. Then I made sure Ice received the extra water and I came up here to lay with you," Ganondorf replied.  
  
"You actually gave him more water?" Piccolo asked, shocked. He hadn't expected Ganondorf to listen to him.  
  
"Of course, Piccolo. You asked me to, didn't you? It is a way of apologizing for what happened in the dungeons. You should not have witness that, and I feel guilty that you did," Ganondorf explained.  
  
Piccolo smiled at Ganondorf tenderly and struggled to free himself from Ganondorf's embrace in order to get to his feet.  
  
"Piccolo, every time I try to kiss you, you pull away. Why? Is it that you don't love me?"  
  
Piccolo rolled his eyes and muttered, "Ganondorf, don't be ridiculous. We aren't supposed to kiss. First of all, I am a Namek. We don't kiss at all. Second of all, you are a man and should therefore be kissing a woman."  
  
"Don't be so analytical, Cutie," Ganondorf snickered.  
  
"Excuse me? Get off! Leave me alone!" Piccolo cried, leaping to his feet and pointing at the metal door in the corner, dwarfed by the gargantuan fireplace.  
  
Slowly, Ganondorf stood and beamed innocently at Piccolo. Piccolo glowered at Ganondorf, threw his head back and screamed in frustration, a child having a temper tantrum. Ganondorf took a step closer to Piccolo and dragged the Namek into a cuddle.  
  
"Why couldn't Vegeta have been kidnapped? He deserves this...." Piccolo sighed unhappily.  
  
His complaining didn't last long, however. He was soon consenting to the embrace and Ganondorf bent down to kiss Piccolo's forehead again. Piccolo glanced up into the face of the Gerudo and craned his neck to reach Ganondorf's height. They were so close that they breathed into each others face. To Piccolo, Ganondorf's breath smelled clean and crisp like fresh fruits and vegetables; he wondered if Ganondorf's mouth tasted so fresh and stretched upwards to find out himself.  
  
A dissonant sound echoed through the large empty room as the metal door was thrown opened, interrupting the intimate moment. A Gerudo woman announced, "Lord Ganondorf, your breakfast is ready."  
  
"Yes, of course. I'll be down in one second," he replied.  
  
"I didn't...intrude, did I?" she asked nervously.  
  
"Of course not! What would I be doing with this damned prisoner? Let me finish my threats and I will escort myself to breakfast. I am not a child, I don't need you women helping me through my own castle!" Ganondorf roared, his voice suddenly harsh and detestable.  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
She scurried out of the room, forgetting to close the door on her way out. Ganondorf left without another word and Piccolo was left alone, panting for breath and with a strange new feeling flowing in his Namekian blood. 


	12. XI

The Chamber of Sages was gloomy and empty. Navi curled up closer to her boy to make herself warm. She had only seen one of the visitors, and they had been with Rauru for over a month. Sniffling in the cold, she refused to leave her child's side and pitied him as he shivered in his sleep. Link burst into whimpers like that of a newborn whelp, calling for its mother and the fresh taste of milk.  
  
"Link, it's okay," cooed the fairy, stroking his soft blonde hair. His skin was clammy and paling. Navi caressed his cheek and fluttered her wings to drift in the air and land on his cheek. She ripped a shred of her clothing, no larger than a pea, and wiped the boy's tears. "It's just a dream."  
  
Suddenly the door opened and Rauru appeared, an expression of complete pain across his face. "Navi, will you leave Link for a few moments and keep the guests busy. They're destroying the house and I really have to go lock up all the bars before they clean out the one they're in now and go looking for more," Rauru begged.  
  
"You want be to baby-sit while you lock up all the alcohol?" Navi questioned. The light around her was beginning to turn slightly red, as she was angered. Suddenly, the fairy yelled, "What's wrong with you! Does it look like I want to tend to a bunch of inebriated cretins! Hell no! Give them a job to do! I've got a hero to protect!"  
  
Rauru, the great Sage of Light, cowered before the burning red ball of light before him and the three inch woman inside it. He whimpered when she soared off and landed beside Link, returning to her traditional color. "I was simply requesting........." he stuttered.  
  
Navi sighed and fluttered quickly back towards him. "Fine, I'll do it. But you'd better hurry up because Link needs me!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
After locking up all the wine cellars and extra refrigerators, Rauru returned to the massive room in which he had left the strange men from Earth. As he opened the vast golden doors a shocking scene greeted him. All four of the guests were tied up to separate chairs, gags in their mouth and chains around their limbs. They dared not to struggle against their bondage, for Navi was hovering above them, a crimson color.  
  
"I bet you're sorry for calling me an insect, aren't you, you ignorant humans!" Navi laughed cruelly. Vegeta mumbled something through his gag about not being a human but was silenced by another wave of catcalls from the fairy. "Don't talk back to me, you insignificant 'Saiyan'! I don't care what you are; you're a human to me! A filthy, egomaniac of a human who deserves to be put in his place! You may have been the strongest from your 'Earth', but Hyrule is beyond your imagination. With magic and power beyond your wildest dreams! Mess with me, and I'll release some major ass kicking upon your worthless selves!"  
  
* I no longer deserve the title of a Saiyan,* thought Vegeta. *First Bulma, now the fairy. And Navi doesn't even come up to my shin!*  
  
When Navi heard Rauru enter, she spun around and returned to her blue color. Then she added fiercely, "If you don't listen to the Sage, then I'll be back to watch you all!"  
  
With a new uplifted feeling in his heart, Rauru watched the fairy leave. As he untied the Earthlings he pondered the many ways he could enjoy himself with the new command over them, but was too pure to actually fulfill any of his ideas.  
  
"Who was that?" Krillin asked shakily as he got to his feet.  
  
"That was Navi," Rauru said with a smile. "Fairy to the boy who you are guarding."  
  
"He gets a fairy? I wish I had a fairy. Especially if they're all as angry as Navi is," laughed Gohan.  
  
Vegeta spat the gag out of his mouth and at Rauru's feet. "The next time I see her I'm going to be prepared.........Rauru, is there a store nearby where we can buy some bug repellent?"  
  
Rauru chuckled a single chuckle and frowned sadly. "Ganondorf will soon destroy all of the stores in the marketplace. We cannot do anything against his Gerudos."  
  
"We'll fight them!" cried Goku.  
  
"Don't you understand? They're powerful! Extremely powerful!" Rauru protested.  
  
"Well, then.........we'll train!" Goku exclaimed.  
  
Rauru nodded, thinking it over. Suddenly he said, "I think I know someone who could help you all get stronger. I'll invite her here sometime. For now train against each other while I make out my letter." And with that, the man turned and left for his private chambers to begin a coded letter to a woman who might be able to help them succeed.  
  
"Well, that was nice. What are we supposed to do?" Krillin asked.  
  
"Didn't you hear him, Krillin? We'll train with each other!" Goku chimed.  
  
"I want to fight Kakarott," announced Vegeta.  
  
Gohan laughed and exclaimed, "I want to fight Navi!" 


	13. XII

IMPORTANT A/N: This chapter took me a tremendous amount of time to complete since I was forced to create many of my own theories on Nameks. I don't want any bullshit about my theories. If you find me proof that they're wrong, I'll change them. But you can't find me solid proof, because I've spent MONTHS looking for it.

Ganondorf's personal chambers were magnificent; he was the richest in the country besides the King of Hyrule himself. Every detail was intricate; every jewel was perfectly cut; the cloth was the finest of its kind, and the wood was of the most beautiful trees in Hyrule. But hidden away from view in the gorgeous dressers and cabinets, were the less exquisite things. He had sentimental belongings just like any man, and he spent most of his alone time fiddling with the objects that he found impossible to throw away. One of these was a stuffed rabbit.

The King of Gerudos slept with as many women as he wanted, it was his duty to impregnate them so the population could continue. Ganondorf's mother had been a poor Gerudo woman, and just because she had gotten pregnant with the King's children twice didn't mean she got moved up to a better lifestyle. Her first child was a female, and the second time around each of the Gerudo doctors who checked on her thought the baby would be a female as well; it was unlikely for her to have the Gerudo male child. When he was born, his mother and sister were alone, and despite the fact that he was the Gerudo male, they kept him and raised him until he was five, when hundreds of Gerudos poured into his small home and murdered his mother before his eyes. They took him to the King, and he was allowed to bring with him one item. Ganondorf had chosen his stuffed rabbit that he had slept with since his first night alive.

Even today Ganondorf remembered the sight of his mother's death as if it had occurred very recently. Ganondorf thought the reason he had not gotten a single Gerudo pregnant was because every time he looked at one of the women he remembered his mother's screams. He could not consider himself homosexual, because it would shame his race for the king to be with Hylian men. When Piccolo arrived, and Ganondorf first learned he was both male and female, he was immediately interested in meeting the Namek. So he put on his pleasant face and discovered that Piccolo was what he had been looking for in a mate for decades. And the fact that Piccolo tried everything to distance himself was even more wonderful. Everything about Piccolo, from his green skin to his cold heart was perfect. Ganondorf worshipped him, but received nothing in return.

As Ganondorf sat on his bed, thinking over all of this, turning the rabbit in his massive hands, his bedroom door opened and a sobbing woman fell in, clawing at her face, which was moist with tears.

"Piccolo's worse, Sir!" she whimpered through her sobs.

Ganondorf glanced up at her, hiding the fear in his eyes. "What has Daelistar said? Has she given a reason for his condition?"

"She's down there with him now, Your Highness. She says that... his body is like a plant's and... it needs sunlight to survive. She is talking about chlorophyll and photosynthesis... but I don't understand any of what that means. He's dying, Master. Without sunlight he will wither like a flower," the Gerudo replied, hysterical.

Dying...

"Why not take him away from the castle? The last time we brought him into Hyrule he got better. Why doesn't she think of doing that?" Ganondorf questioned.

"It's storming badly, Sir. There is no sunlight. She brought him out there in hopes that it would clear up, but it's only gotten worse. Now she wants to bring him back to the castle, but Piccolo refuses. I just got a look at him, Sir...he looks horrible. He has turned an ugly brown color, and his skin is all wrinkled. You can see all of the bones in his body- his muscles are gone. He looks like a monster!" she wailed.

"I will go carry him in," Ganondorf said, getting to his feet and discarding the rabbit on the bed.

"No, Sir! Don't go down there! Don't look at him, it will break your heart..." the Gerudo howled.

Ganondorf sat back on his bed, running fingers through his brilliant orange hair. His thoughts were clouded by the violent sobs coming from his servant. "Leave him there."

"WHAT?" screamed the Gerudo, clinging to the doorway for support.

"Give my orders to Daelistar. Piccolo will be left outside," Ganondorf demanded.

"You can't leave him!" she roared.

"Do _not _question my orders, girl. Tell Daelistar to leave him wherever she has brought him. If she refuses tell her if I have to come down there I will kill her," Ganondorf snarled.

The Gerudo looked horrified. She reluctantly nodded and pulled herself to her feet. Bowing, she left the room.

Ganondorf took a deep breath and sat on his bed heavily, letting a single tear flow down his cheek. He had not cried once since the day his mother died.

ooooooooooooooooo

Piccolo was angry, certainly, and weaker than he had ever been. He felt a strange pain in his stomach that he had never experienced, far worse than the other pains he felt. It was a sense of emptiness, a sense of something sucked dry. Each grain of energy, like sand through an hourglass, was falling away quickly, and he had felt this way since coming to Ganondorf's castle.

The sun...

The lack of sunlight in his new home was destroying him. He only realized this a few months ago, after recovering following his last trip outside the castle. Never before had he been deprived of sunlight, and probably neither had any other Namek alive today. That was why no one had taught him that darkness was dangerous. If he had known, he would have told Ganondorf. But for the past months he hadn't seen Ganondorf, and he somehow felt more alone than he had been ever before. It added to his pain, this sense of loneliness. He couldn't explain it; it was as foreign as the pain in his gut.

He could not believe Ganondorf was leaving him outside to die. It was exactly how a mind like Ganondorf's would think. It was the most degrading death a Namek could imagine- dying in a field, emaciated and thinking destructive thoughts. Piccolo had always wanted to die in battle. And here he lay, in a field in another world, all of his companions with no idea where he was and that he was going to rot away. Where are they, can't they sense my power-

Piccolo opened his eyes quickly, shocked. The gray clouds above had disappeared while he lay oblivious. Bright sunlight poured down, strong against his body. He was confused...clouds don't clear up that fast....

oooooooooooooooo

It did break his heart.

Ganondorf held Piccolo's wet body close to his chest as he snuck the sleeping Namek up the several flights of stairs to his chambers. The Namek's skin was moist from the rain, also wrinkled and flaking, but there was a healthy green tinge in his face. He realized that Piccolo's skin had not been so green since the first few days Piccolo had been in the castle. Sunlight was necessary for a Namek, Daelistar had been right. She always was.

Ganondorf took special care in opening and shutting his bedroom doors; he was well aware of how loudly they creaked. At first Ganondorf headed for the bed, but he changed his mind and turned towards the bathroom. He had previously filled the gigantic marble tub with boiling water for his own bath, and it had cooled down as he made his secret trip for Piccolo, but it was still hot.

As Ganondorf placed Piccolo's limb body into the tub, the Namek writhed in protest. The Gerudo King struggled with him, and eventually managed to settled him into the water. Piccolo remained sound asleep, and was snoring slightly. A smile touched at the corner's of Ganondorf's lips as he removed Piccolo's clothes under the water, which was already quite muddy.

Ganondorf placed the soaked clothes beside the marble sink, sure that one of his Gerudos would take them to be washed in the morning. He took a towel from the box by the tub, and dried off his mucky arms. The towel was dark with grime when he considered himself cleaned and he tossed it beside Piccolo's clothes. Sighing heavily in fatigue, Ganondorf took an emerald towel from the box and set it on the ground, ready to dry Piccolo.

Seated on the tile bathroom floor, his knees drawn up to his chest, Ganondorf watched Piccolo sleeping in his tub with immense fondness in his amber eyes. It took Ganondorf an incredible amount of will power to refrain from touching Piccolo with the sensuality that he wanted to. But he realized the Namek was helpless, and out of respect kept his hands to himself.

Piccolo's snores, which could barely be heard, were steady and relaxing, like the sound of a lullaby. The mellifluous hum eased Ganondorf's worries. "He will survive," he reassured himself, leaning against the tub to support his weight as he closed his eyes and dipped his fingertips into the hot water.

In his deep slumber, Ganondorf found himself dreaming of Piccolo. He woke some time later, and the memories of the dreams had slipped away. The bathroom was completely silent, he realized a moment or two after arousing, and he quickly turned towards the tub, fear clutching his pounding heart. But Piccolo was fine, his snores had stopped during their naps, but he was still fine and breathing.

Ganondorf lifted Piccolo from the tub and carried him back into the elaborate main room of his chambers. He stepped onto the dais on which stood his magnificent canopy bed and dumped Piccolo onto the black blankets and quilts, all embroidered with impressive detail in brilliant colors. When he realized what he had seen, the covers were already up. His jaw dropped.

He threw back the covers, his amber eyes full of shock.

"Piccolo, why didn't you tell me?" Ganondorf cried.

The Namek grunted and rolled onto his side in his sleep. Thick red eyebrows furrowed, Ganondorf climbed into bed beside Piccolo and ran his fingers between Piccolo's legs under the blankets. His observations had been correct...First, Ganondorf's fingers closed around a familiar shaft, exactly what he had expected on Piccolo. But just beyond that Ganondorf felt a moist slit. It was familiar only from the experiments he had done on the harem he had received as a teenager. Ganondorf slid his fingers into the opening, stroking the wet, squishy flesh on the inside. Preventing him from continuing him further into the opening was a thin layer of tissue, more durable that normal skin, and very slick to the touch. A cavity like this belonged between the ample thighs of a woman. Ganondorf chuckled. Piccolo was writhing blissfully in his sleep, relishing the stroke of Ganondorf's thick fingers inside his vagina.

"You can't lie to me anymore, Piccolo. I know your secrets, now," Ganondorf laughed, removing his fingers, now caked with cum and licking the thick liquid from his flesh, savoring the flavor of Piccolo on his tongue.

Ganondorf pulled the blankets over the both of them and snuggled into Piccolo's curves. He felt an erection bulging in his tight suit, but ignored it with considerable determination. His lips pressed against Piccolo's vulnerable emerald skin connecting his large, pointed ear to his skull and whispered, "I know you can hear me, Piccolo. So I'm going to tell you why I've rescued you. I think you already know that I love you. I haven't loved anyone since I was a toddler. I am glad you came to me from Earth. And I don't only keep you with me to capture your friends. In fact, they no longer matter to me. I just want you," Ganondorf declared.

Piccolo turned so that his face was practically touching Ganondorf's. He was wide awake, his eyes fully opened, and his antennae standing rigid in the air. There was an unbelievable level of understanding during that silent moment. The passion in their eyes spoke everything. After all was silently said, Ganondorf cupped Piccolo's face with a giant's hand and pressed his lips against the Namek's mouth.

The kiss barely lasted a second before Piccolo pulled away and said in reply to Ganondorf's confession, "I owe you my life."

"You owe me nothing, Piccolo. Except for a kiss. I expect better than that, I would barely consider it osculating," Ganondorf said slyly.

Piccolo grinned and wrapped a hand around Ganondorf's neck, pulling him down, and pressing their lips together. He was a novice, Ganondorf an expert. The Gerudo King parted Piccolo's lips with his moist tongue. Their tongues caressed roughly while their lips wrapped around the other's, fighting for domination.

Of all of the things that had happened to Piccolo this month, this was, by far, the most incredible. It was more unusual than starving or being as weak as an infant. He was more shocked than when he had woken in the rubble, covered in scratches. This was more sudden that the attack of Gerudos. And it felt more pleasing than all of his happiest moments collected.

A heat rose from Piccolo's loins up to his chest where it burned in his heart. Pulling away from this moment seemed ridiculous, but he could barely breathe. Ganondorf was finally the one to breach their contact, by dragging his wet lips across Piccolo's cheek and sucking on his sore neck. Piccolo was flipped onto his back as he ran his fingers through Ganondorf's long orange hair, digging his nails into Ganondorf's flesh.

It was only then Piccolo realized he was nude. Ganondorf's armor, covered in spikes, was tearing into his already shrunken body. Blood stained the black sheets, it was impossible to see, but Piccolo felt it pooling around him. He ran his tongue down Ganondorf's cheek one last time before pushing the larger man off and ripping off the blankets to check his wounds in the dim candlelight.

When they were cuddled together again, both were wearing pajamas. Piccolo wore what must have been Ganondorf's pair as a teenager, because it nearly fit him. Both were of silk, and it felt incredible against Piccolo's slowly healing skin. The two men were so exhausted that another romp like the previous one might just kill the both of them, so they were simply sleeping in each other's arms. But Piccolo would have to admit, it would be even better than dying in battle.


End file.
